1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a combination auger system, and particularly to a system that combines a coreless auger and a core-type auger in a single material distributing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An auger feeding system commonly used for delivering food to poultry, hogs and the like, employs a coreless auger constructed in the form of a spiral coil similar to a coiled spring. While this coreless auger has the advantage of being flexible and is easily adaptable to situations where the material being conveyed must be elevated or otherwise passed from one plane to another, difficulties have been encountered with this coreless auger in that it permits the feed to slip by or jump over each one of the flightings forming the auger and consequently the coreless auger separates the coarse from the fine feed and does not deliver an even balance of ration to the poultry, hogs, and the like.
Another approach to distributing food to poultry, hogs, and the like, is to provide the spiral flights of the auger with a tube, or core, which forms a core-type auger that does not separate the feed being distributed. As can be readily appreciated, however, the presence of the core in the auger limits the flexibility of same and handicaps use of the auger in elevating and other applications where it is desirable, or even necessary, that the auger be bent around one or more corners.
Patent No. 2,646,023, issued July 21, 1953, to R. K. Virgil, discloses an automatic fowl feeding device using a flexible auger that extends from a hopper to a straight portion of a feeding trough. At the latter point, the auger is apparently connected to a worm. A difficulty arises in such an arrangement, however, since there is an inherent difficulty in transferring feed from the flexible screw to the worm, since the flexible screw is capable of handling more feed than can be handled by the worm arranged in a straight section. Unless the feed is throttled at the hopper so that the level of feed in the section provided when the flexible auger is operating only at a fraction of its capacity difficulties will be encountered at the transition from the flexible auger to the worm.
Additional prior patents believed pertinent to this invention are as follows: 351,014 A. Wissler oct. 19, 1886 1,258,668 F. G. Gauntt Mar. 12, 1918 1,741,981 B. Dewey et al Dec. 31, 1929 2,742,139 M. L. Smallegan April 17, 1956 2,888,128 C. S. Allen May 26, 1959 3,278,001 C. C. Andrews Oct. 11, 1966 3,342,315 C. S. Godley Sept. 19, 1967 3,394,681 P. D. Rigterink et al July 30, 1968 3,451,531 C. R. Barnes June 24, 1969 3,580,384 R. J. Pingree May 25, 1971 3,726,392 B. Rastoin April 10, 1973